Exeter Chiefs begin the new Aviva Premiership season on Saturday with a trip to Northampton Saints.

The Devon-based club will have a new man wearing the captain's armband in the form of Dean Mumm, the Australian flanker who arrived from New South Wales Waratahs last summer.

Sports Mole spoke with the former Wallaby on his team's chances during the season launch at Twickenham Stadium.

How would you describe the club's pre-season preparations?

"Pre-season has been good. It's my first one over here so from that point of view it's been a little bit different, a little bit challenging, but this one's been good. Everything has been done well by the team so when the season comes around you're chewing at the bit to get going.

"From the team point of view it's been pretty good. We've had two pre-season games so far which have gone well. We've also managed to get through them reasonably well on the injury front so that's always important at this time of year."

How are you finding life in England?

"England has treated me well, but, collectively it's not good because the English keep beating Australia at sport! Devon is a lovely place to live, nice and relaxed. The supporters we've got down there are a great bunch."

Has the club set itself any goals for the campaign ahead?

"You've got to have a holistic approach to the season, but at the same time we're not a club who are making proclamations about the season ahead. The focus for us is to pick up important results across the whole of the campaign. I've only been here one year but we got some good results at the end of last season. The really good teams make sure that they are disciplined and get results across the whole of the season. The focus for us is to get into a position where we can attack the top four. It would be nice to be there."

What sort of captain do you see yourself as?

"This will be my first season as captain which will be something different for me, but it's about leading the team by performance and not by title. The challenge is to keep getting better year after year and not look back.

"I'll be vocal enough. I'll probably speak a little bit more on the field than off, but I won't be giving any Churchillian speeches! The captains that I've been lucky enough to play with, guys like Phil Waugh and Stirling Mortlock, have really set the benchmark in terms of attitude and how they approach the game. For them, performance was the key and it was more about how the played instead of what they said."